After we moved from “happening” suburbs to this rural community, I often wondered why God would place such gifted preachers in such small settings. I’ve come to understand that it is not the size of the setting that makes us successful, it is our obedience to our calling; and God places His people strategically in the place of His choosing for the upbuilding of His Kingdom and His ultimate glory. Just as so many spectacular creatures shine in the darkness of the sea where no one but God seas them, many of God’s treasures labor in obscurity for His glory and without the applause of crowds.

So let me share some of the gems from my pastors’ sermons in 2011.

• When Satan brought his A game (tempting Jesus in the desert), what did Jesus do? He quoted Scripture.
  - I can’t quote it if I don’ t know it.
  - Lord, help me to remember to do the same thing when I am tempted.
• It’s not the absence of the storm that sets us apart. It’s the One we find in the storm.
• Isaiah 6:3 says that the whole earth is full of God’s glory. Let’s look for His glory everywhere we go!
• We were developing in the womb for the life we would live here; we’re developing now for the life we will live for eternity. Those things we ask “What’s the sense of it all” are for our future life (for example., our mouths had no purpose in the womb!).
  - This truth explodes in my mind! For everything you and I have ever questioned, there has been a purpose in God’s bigger picture. If we can’t see it now, we can have confidence it’s for our future.
• Faith is more than believing, it’s obeying.
• In every western movie, someone comes riding into town and all hell breaks loose. Two thousand years ago, Jesus came riding into town and all heaven broke loose!
  - Hallelujah!
• Let us act like the redeemed of the Lord – in the midst of it all – and shout “Hosanna, Son of David!”
• Ask God: “Draw me away with You.”

Which of these quotes had the most impact on you today? Leave me a comment below or on Facebook.

If you missed my first post of tidbits from 2011, click here.

God wants to do great things in us but we settle for peace!
Pastor Larry Klaiber

Ouch! When my pastor said this during his sermon this morning, he was stepping on my toes! How about you? If we asked everyone who chooses peace to raise their hand, would your hand be up? Mine would be. High. I want peace. I want an enjoyable life. I don’t want pain. I don’t want suffering. My pastor is right – I’ll settle for peace. But God wants greater for me. He wants more for you, too.

We’re not talking about peace instead of conflict necessarily. We are called to be peacemakers – that often means swallowing our pride (which God opposes, anyway) and going to others in humility and asking to be forgiven. What we’re talking about is a peaceful lifestyle instead of being stretched, molded and shaped into the person God wants us to become.

Scripture describes God as the potter and us as the clay. Do you know very much about pottery? It gets slapped around on the wheel, formed by firm and gentle pressure, and shaped into something of the potter’s own choosing. The final product is useful or beautiful (or both). But the process can be kind of messy and painful for the clay. When we choose to take ourselves off the wheel, we interrupt the process. We choose peace instead of God’s purposes.

¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹²If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. ¹⁴If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. ¹⁵If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15

Wood, hay or straw will be burned in the fire. Gold, silver and costly stones on the other hand are refined by the fire.  In our pastor’s sermon last Sunday, he talked about the process of mining the gold, silver and costly stones. As he talked, I began thinking about how dirty and grimy miners are when they come up from the mines. Then I wrote the following in my notebook:

I will only get/find the best of God – the heart of God – by getting dirty and grimy.

And that means not settling for peace but volunteering for the dirty jobs God places in my path. Again, I say…ouch!

 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they [the Israelites] did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.
          Hebrews 4:1-2 (NIV)

For this Good News – that God has prepared a place of rest – has been announced to us just as it was to them [the Israelites]. But it did them no good because they didn’t believe what God told them.
          Hebrews 4:1-2 (NLT)

“The message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.”
“It did them no good because they didn’t believe what God told them.”

It is not enough to hear the Gospel message. It is not enough to be in mental agreement with it. Rather, we must combine what we hear with our faith. We must believe what God has told us.

The word that is translated “faith” in the New International Version and “believe” in the New Living Translation is a word that means “rely upon.” There is a subtle difference between believing and relying upon. I believe that I would be healthier if I were to walk on my treadmill more often, but I’m not relying upon it. If I were, I’d be walking more often. I believe that my blogs help others to grasp the things God has for them, but I don’t rely upon that. I rely upon God to bring clarity and faith into the hearts and minds of readers.

If God’s message is to have impact in your life, if it is to have an impact in my life, it must be one that we choose to rely upon, not one we simply agree with. As our pastor said on Sunday, “Faith is a verb. It’s an action word.” If our faith is not a verb – if it is not something we act upon, it is not faith.

One of the ways God teaches us to rely upon Him and His Word is by removing from us other things we might putting our trust in. For example, my husband and I have our own business. I have not been able to draw a paycheck from that business for six months because of current economic conditions. God is surely teaching me that I am not to rely upon my business to provide for my needs, but to trust Him. I am often tempted to rely upon my husband for affirmation, companionship, guidance, love and strength. Now it’s not bad for me to anticipate, even expect, those things from my Godly husband, but my reliance must be upon the Lord. Phil’s recent heart attack has been an opportunity for God to speak to me about where I place my faith and trust. Is it in a healthy husband who takes care of me and our life in so many ways, or is it in God? If my reliance is upon my business or my husband, or anything else of this world, I am setting myself up for disappointment, discouragement and ultimately failure. But when my reliance is upon God, I have everything I need.

Only God has the message that gives eternal life, and that message is often called the Gospel, or “good news.” The Gospel message is that God has done for us through Christ what we could never do for ourselves. We could never do enough or be good enough to spend eternity in heaven with God, so He stepped out of heaven in the form of His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus then did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves – he paid the price for our sin by sacrificing His life for ours – He died so that we might live. And that’s the message of Scripture. And when we believe – rely upon – what God did for us – dying for our sins so that we might have eternal life – He will give it. Scripture says that Christ died so that we might have life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). That abundant life is the eternal life we will live in heaven with God, but it is also Christ here with us now. It is living in His Kingdom while still a resident of the planet earth – living in constant relationship with Him. It’s a life of blessing even when there’s no paycheck to be had and a husband who is not able to do all that he once was. It is a life of peace in the midst of the turmoil of the world.

Well, I’m on the verge of writing a blog about what it means to live an abundant life (ok, maybe I’ve crossed over into it), and this blog is about relying upon the message we’ve received. I’ll save the rest of the abundant life blog for another time and close the relying upon blog here.

May I ask the question…upon what or whom do you rely? Is it the Word of the Lord, the message of God given to you? Let me encourage you to “add faith” to the words of Scripture that you hear and read. Then live the abundant life.